There comes a time in every college student’s life when you have to have a roommate, whether it’s in a dorm, an apartment or a house. The obvious choice is to pick someone you know that you’re close with. But, for some reason, most people warn against it— they say that it’ll ruin your friendship and it will never be the same again. This year, I decided to ignore that advice and share a dorm room with one of my best friends from high school— and I don’t regret that choice for a second.
I found that for my first year of college, living with someone I’m comfortable with and whom I trust with everything was the best possible choice for me. For one, it’s a lot easier to tell your close friend when something is wrong than a complete stranger. The very few times we’ve had roommate issues, as soon as it came out in the open it was easy to resolve because we were honest with each other— which can be hard to do with someone you don’t know.
Another key thing I’ve realized is that it’s very important to have a safe space to come home to, and that can be difficult when you don’t know your roommate. I know people who only consider their roommates to be just that, and not friends, and so their rooms feel awkward to them. Both of us have had numerous meltdowns in our room, and I know neither of us would have been able to do that had we not been so close. This has provided us with necessary emotional growth as we were able to work out our feelings. It’s great to be able to come home and not feel like we have to act like anyone other than ourselves, and to be able to talk about things going on in our lives.
The only potential downside is that you do see your roommate 24/7. So, if you do choose to live with your best friend, you must make sure you have good communication between you, as you have to be able to say when you want personal space without offending the other person. It’s key to make sure you carve out alone time. On the other hand, it’s important to set aside “best friend time” from “roommate time.” When you don’t have to schedule time to see your best friend, it can seem like the only reason you see each other is just because you live together. That’s why me and my roommate would have movie or TV nights where we’d get a bunch of food, lock the door and just hang out together. During Bachelor season, Monday nights became friend time.
All in all, through good communication and honesty, living with your best friend can be the best decision you’ll make in college.